His Yoke Is Easy And Burden Is Light

-December 30, 2021-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly of heart, and you will be rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

(Matthew 11:29-30).

Yesterday we looked at the preceding verse in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Jesus is the only One who can give rest to the soul. As believers we rest in Him, trusting Him to take of us. Today, we see the continuation of this beautiful section of Matthew. Our Lord and Savior now invites us to take His yoke, learn from Him, knowing that His yoke is easy and burden is light.

A yoke is a piece of timber, hollowed or made curving near each end, and fitted with bows for receiving the necks; by which means two are connected for drawing. Two oxen paired together, work together together to accomplish some particular work in the fields. Jesus’ yoke links us to Him as His servants to accomplish His work. We cannot accomplish anything without the Lord. We yield ourselves to Him and His will, and when we do there is rest for us. We struggle when we try to do things on our own.

Jesus said in John 15:4-5, in an analogy of a vine and branches, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” To be effective, successful, and productive for Christ we must yield fully to Him, surrender to His will, and trust in His mighty power.

Taking the yoke of Christ and placing it on our necks must be done willingly. Jesus will never force us to do it. He knows it is best for us. He is not a tough taskmaster, but rather is gentle and lowly of heart. He will never overwork us or give us more than we can handle. He gives us the grace to handle every situation. There is rest for us in surrendering to Him. It is such a great illustration of discipleship.

The Lord has so much to teach us if we will listen and learn. He clearly says, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” He does His work with us and for us, and the results are tremendous. John wrote in 1 John 5:3, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” Obedience to Christ is not a burden but a blessing; His will is best for us always, and His ways are right for us in every situation. His yoke does not restrict us, but rather frees us to be all we can be for Him.

Let us then choose to take the yoke, yield and surrender fully to Him, so that we can be effective for Christ every day. Think what we can accomplish through Jesus!

Have a blessed day finishing the year strong. Let us take His yoke, and do so willingly. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean